Overview & Reviews

"Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes-Benz?" That's the opening line of "Mercedes-Benz," a song most famously recorded by singer Janis Joplin in the early 1970s. The tune gently poked fun at materialism and our desire for the finer things in life. It's fitting that the renowned German marque figures prominently in the lyric. Mercedes-Benz has long been known for crafting vehicles that emphasize luxury and refinement. For many, its vehicles are sleek symbols of status, success and good taste.

In January of 1886, Karl Benz unveiled the world's first automobile, a three-wheeled vehicle dubbed the Benz Patent Motor Car. A few months later, Gottlieb Daimler and his chief engineer Wilhelm Maybach rolled out a four-wheeled vehicle powered by his Daimler engine. The first Mercedes was crafted in 1901, shortly after Daimler's death. Built by Maybach, the car was commissioned by Emil Jellinek, one of Daimler's primary distributors, and was ultimately named after Jellinek's daughter, Mercedes.

In 1926, the companies founded by Daimler and Benz merged to form Daimler-Benz AG, and the Mercedes-Benz brand was born. The company's insignia was a three-pointed star wreathed in a laurel; the star was dreamed up by Daimler years earlier, and its three points signified the fact that his engines were used in vehicles that traveled land, air and sea.

Right from the start, the Mercedes-Benz name was synonymous with automotive excellence. One of the automaker's earliest vehicles, the 1931 Mercedes-Benz 170, distinguished itself as the world's first production car to offer a technology that was nothing short of extraordinary for the day: four-wheel independent suspension. The '30s and '40s saw Mercedes establishing itself as the brand of choice for car buyers seeking the ultimate in luxury, thanks to coveted cruisers like the 380 and 540K.

The 1950s witnessed the introduction of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL "Gullwing," a sports car that has been described as being the world's first supercar. With its dramatic styling and race-bred technology, the 300 SL reigns today as a classic coveted by collectors worldwide. The decade also saw Daimler-Benz making strides in the area of safety technology. The company's Mercedes-Benz 220 sedans were the first vehicles to incorporate its patented "crumple zone" body design, created to absorb impact in the event of a crash.

In 1963, the company cemented its reputation as the home of automotive luxury with the launch of the Mercedes-Benz 600. The elegant, luxurious sedan was also available as a limousine and featured an ahead-of-its-time air suspension system and a V8 engine that boasted 300 horsepower. The decade also saw the launch of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3. This full-size sedan went from zero to 60 in under seven seconds, distinguishing itself as the quickest luxury car is its day.

The 1970s saw the birth of the brand's storied S-Class line of vehicles, opulent sedans and coupes that coddled passengers with powerful engines and a long list of luxury features. The decade also saw Mercedes continuing on the cutting edge of safety technology, by being the first to offer antilock brakes in its vehicles.

Daimler-Benz's safety advancements continued in the 1980s. Its cars were the first to offer airbags and traction control. The manufacturer also raised the bar in terms of ride comfort and handling when it introduced multilink rear suspension. The technology debuted on the compact Mercedes-Benz 190 E, and it remains a vital component of the company's chassis engineering to this day.

Mercedes-Benz vehicles got an extra dose of power and performance in the 1990s, thanks to the manufacturer's partnership with AMG, a performance and tuning shop that was eventually purchased by the company to help produce ultra-high-performance versions of some of its vehicles. The first AMG model offered in the U.S. was the sporty C36 AMG in 1995; since then, Mercedes has gone on to offer an AMG-tuned version of almost all of its vehicles.

The company's current lineup is the most comprehensive in its history. With a variety of sedans, coupes, SUVs and roadsters filling Mercedes showrooms, it seems like the only thing missing is a pickup truck. Surely, the fact that Janis Joplin's song holds as much relevance today as it did four decades ago is a strong indicator that the brand's premier status is still very much intact.

User Reviews:

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  Farewell to all that - 2003 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By Jersey guy - January 6 - 12:46 pm

  Owned the car for 3 yrs, bought used at 38,500 mi. Beautifully styled exterior and luxurious, comfy interior -- wonderful to look at and to ride in. However, I have never owned a more problematic Benz (this is my fifth). Most of the issues were electronic defects, most notably gear shift that jammed in "P" because of defective sensor, which took dealer months to figure out; A/C sensor needed replacement after a few yrs; the V-belt broke apart on the highway, causing loss of power; front-end vibration required new engine mount; air suspens. struts replaced; CD remote multi-changer stopped working -- and more. I bid farewell to the car today, more in sorrow than in anger.

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  THE SUV - 2002 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By Darkmann - December 30 - 10:00 am

  The ML has a lot of minor annoying build quality problems and this distracts from the capability of the truck. A good dealership makes the difference between frustration and having an excellent ownership experience. Now, the ML is a great deal in the market. The drive is great and its offroad prowess is really second to none, not even the Cayenne can keep up!! The ML500 is the choice and the best SUV deal anywhere, period.

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  Nightmare - 2000 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
  By DSMITH303 - December 28 - 10:00 am

  Thought this was my dream car, but it has turned out to be a nightmare! Ive had three air-compressed shocks go bad on me, each costs about $1,300 to fix, a ball joint, and a crankshaft sensor. Thank goodness I have a personal mechanic that does the work or Id probably go bankrupt soon. what else? I have a leak in the back of the car, which makes rainy days scary and the CD player is on the blink. There is no doubt that this is a beautiful car, but it seems as if I am waiting for the next thing to go wrong! This is not what I thought owning a Mercedes would be like. This is definitely the first and last Benz I am going to own, so much for my dream car. Seriously, I hope it gets better.

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  Great Alternative To SUVs - 2002 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Dave in Indy - December 23 - 10:00 am

  Growing tired of SUVs, we looked at a number of wagons (BMW, VW, Audi, Volvo, & MB) before deciding on the C-320 Sport Wagon. The engine is very strong. Fit & finish is typically perfect Mercedes. The car has a slightly heavy feel during cornering, but there is very little body lean and NO noise from the body or chassis. The dash display is a little clunky, not matching the simple elegance of the rest of the interior. And the Bose stereo is pathetic at reproducing the lower frequencies. Shockingly pathetic. Still a VERY nice car. Give it a try, ... youll probably love it.

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  Almost perfect - 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
  By AZ Driver - December 20 - 1:10 pm

  Great driver, fun with plenty of power and comfortable. Good styling, controls are easy to use. Its really a joy to drive. Really disappointed in the quality of the tires-25K and they needed replacing. But the real disappointment is the quality and longevity of the brake pads and rotors. Had to replace both rotors and pads at 27K, unbelievable! You expect much more/better quality from a Mercedes Benz, especially under the mild driving conditions (Speed) in the USA vs the German autobahn. The dealer indicated they have changed material to a softer variation, ostensibly to resolve the squeaking issues that I have read about, but they have done this at significant reliabilty and customer cost

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  Performance Decrease for 2006 - 2006 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
  By Aaron - December 19 - 11:10 am

  I assume it was for "Marketing" purposes but starting 2006, Benz is putting a 6cyl just breaking that "magic barrier" at a reported 201HP. Well I just traded my 2004 C230 Kompressor in for a 2006 that I had ordered. It was the first 2006 C230 to be delivered so I hadnt driven a 2006. Big Mistake! There is a significant perforance drop compared to my 2004 even though it has a reported 189 HP, but I think the key is there is less torque on the new 6 cyl compared to the 4 cyl.

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  Fun - but rough ride not for families - 1999 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
  By undotcom - December 16 - 10:00 am

  Perfect truck for the young and single to play around in...I cant imagine a more prestigous, inexpensive SUV. BUT... I bought the truck 3 years ago. It was highly rated in almost every safety survey and I could not imagine a better way to protect my wife and newborn son the road. The problem, it rides like a truck...Stiff suspension shakes the back seat passengers on the mildest of roads. Several of my friends have become car sick (first time) while in the back seat! Young parents should avoid this vehicle. Do not take newborns or young infants in this truck due to the amount of vibration their heads would endure.

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  Consumer Reports was right - 2006 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Vdub - December 14 - 7:33 am

  We were undecided between Lexus and MB,decided to go with an e350 with only 17000 miles. This car has the smoothest ride of any vehicle weve owned, including BMW. The problem has been with reliability-my car has been in the shop 5 times,I am currently in a loaner. Ranging from minor electrical problems to motor mounts. I am officially done! The dealership has been great and everything is under warranty. My wife is reluctant to get rid of the car because of the ride and appearance but this car has consumed to much of time!

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  Fun & easy to drive but has its flaws - 2001 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By EyeDoc - December 13 - 9:06 am

  Wonderful 5.5L motor thatll fun forever. Problem with this car is build quality and electronic failures. Also watch out for rust. MB USA will not acknowledge serious rust issues their cars even though hundreds of thousands of well maintained MB cars are rusting. Easy to drive, if you dont step on the gas it drives just like a regular E-class. Great commuter. Much more comfortable than BMW M5. Depreciation very poor, same year M5 costs $10-12k more.

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  love the E class 320 - 1999 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By billc1975 - December 12 - 8:01 pm

  had my 99 E-320 for 2 years now it has 94k miles , ive had to put around 6k in repairs into it because i plan on keeping this car a long time, it has never had a single mechanical problem, only a few electrical items, and thats to be expected if you dont take precaution in florida heat. ( i learned and since no problems) the only thing i didnt like were the seats, they could be a little more comfy, almost like a board with very thin padding over it, besides that, i have absolutely loved everything about this car, the pickup on takeoff is very strong, the ride is smooth, and the look elegant. i would recommend this car to anyone looking to keep a vehicle for the long haul, and hey..its a MB